Campaign Finance

Alabama: “Watchdog Accuses Key PAC in Alabama Race of Hiding Donors” by Daniel Jackson for Courthouse News Service

New York: “Cuomo Changes Rationale for Accepting His Appointees’ Donations” by Shane Goldmacher and Brian Rosenthal for New York Times

Elections

National: “Senate Investigators Want Answers from Reddit and Tumblr on Russia Meddling” by Tony Romm for Washington Post

National: “State Dept. Was Granted $120 Million to Fight Russian Meddling. It Has Spent $0.” by Gardiner Harris for New York Times

Ethics

North Carolina: “GOP’s 8-Member Elections-Ethics Board Struck Down. Is a Third Lawsuit on the Horizon?” by Anne Blythe for Raleigh News and Observer

North Dakota: “Group Seeks to Force ND Legislature to Form Ethics Commission” by Wendy Reuer for West Fargo Pioneer

Tennessee: “Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Resigns from Office; ‘I love you, Nashville,’ she says” by Joey Garrison and Nate Rau for The Tennessean

Utah: “As the Number of Female Interns in the State Legislature Grows, Lawmakers and Coordinators Work to Ensure They’re Not Sexually Harassed” by Taylor Stevens for Salt Lake Tribune

Lobbying

National: “Trump’s Florida Fundraiser Flourishes as New Washington Lobbyist” by Bill Allison for Bloomberg

Campaign Finance

Texas: “Talk About Big Bucks: Deer semen donations are fueling South Texas campaign” by Jackie Wang for Dallas News

Ethics

Colorado: “Colorado Rep. Steve Lebsock Is Expelled Following Harassment Complaints from Five Women” by Brian Eason and Jesse Paul for Denver Post

Kentucky: “Company Tied to Gov. Matt Bevin Gets $400K Through State’s ‘Angel Investment’ Program” by Tom Loftus for Lousivelle Courier-Journal

Maryland: “Current, Former Md. Lawmakers Accused of Inappropriately Touching Women in Annapolis” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Michigan: “Sen. Bert Johnson Pleads Guilty, Resigns” by Robert Snell for Detroit News

Lobbying

Federal: “Companies Court Lawmakers with Charitable Giving, but Don’t Always Disclose the Funds” by Carrie Levine for Center for Public Integrity

Florida: “Florida Democrat Demands Probe of NRA Lobbyist Marion Hammer’s Influence” by News Service of Florida for Orlando Sentinel

West Virginia: “Armstead: Investigation underway after lobbyist used access card to enter Capitol” by Jake Zuckerman for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Campaign Finance

National: “Provisions Attached to Budget Bills Could Reshape Campaign Finance Laws” by Michelle Ye Hee Lee for Washington Post

California: “Individual Campaign Contribution Limits Upped to $1,500 for Top Spots in City Elections, Per Annual Adjustment” by the Staff for Los Feliz Ledger

Missouri: “Missouri Attorney General Announces Probe into Greitens’ Former Charity” by Jack Suntrup for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ethics

Florida: “What Happened to Florida’s #MeToo Moment? As Spotlight Shifted, the Bills All but Died” by Mary Ellen Klas (Miami Herald) for Tampa Bay Times

Maryland: “Former Maryland Lawmaker Guilty of Taking Cash Bribes for His Vote on Liquor Law” by Lynh Bui for Washington Post

Pennsylvania: “Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski Guilty on Most Charges in Pay-to-Play Trial; Must Leave Office” by Peter Hall, Emily Opilo, and Daniel Patrick Sheehan for Allentown Morning Call

Lobbying

National: “The NRA Has a Secret Weapon to Fight Gun Control: A powerful app” by Joshua Green for Bloomberg.com

National: “Companies, Nonprofits Put Brakes on Foreign Lobbying Bills” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

Ethics

National: “Labor Board’s Do-Over Leaves an Obama-Era Rule Intact” by Noam Scheiber for New York Times

National: “‘I Do Like 3 Meetings a Day on That’: HUD official complained about effort to redecorate Carson’s office” by Jack Gillium and Juliet Eilperin for Washington Post

National: “White House Communications Director Hope Hicks to Resign” by Philip Parker and Ashley Parker for Washington Post

California: “A Tiny City with Huge Problems, Maywood Faces Its Biggest Scandal Yet” by Ruben Vives and Adam Elmahrek for Los Angeles Times

Colorado: “Colorado Rep. Steve Lebsock Faces Expulsion after 11 Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Him Are Deemed Credible” by John Frank and Jessie Paul for Denver Post

South Carolina: “In Angry Hearing, Special Prosecutor Asks Judge in Quinn Case to Quit” by John Monk for The State

Wisconsin: “State Elections Commission Chief Stepping Down Amid Criticism from Republicans” by Jason Stein for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Lobbying

National: “Exiting Trump Officials Get Tepid Response on Job Market” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

National: “Mercury Registers to Lobby for Turkish Group Linked to Flynn” by Theodoric Meyer for Politico

Virginia: “Female Lobbyist Calls Out Sexual Misconduct at Statehouse” by Marina Villeneuve (Associated Press) for Virginian-Pilot

Campaign Finance

National: “Behind a Key Anti-Labor Case, a Web of Conservative Donors” by Noam Scheiber and Kenneth Vogel for New York Times

Elections

National: “The True Source of the N.R.A.’s Clout: Mobilization, not donations” by Eric Lipton and Alexander Burns for New York Times

National: “Coal Country Divides Over an Unrepentant Boss’s Senate Bid” by Trip Gabriel for New York Times

Ethics

Alabama: “Senate Bill Backed by AG Would Revise Alabama Ethics Laws” by Brian Lyman for Montgomery Advertiser

Maryland: “Maryland Senate Leader Strips Baltimore Sen. Nathaniel Oaks of Committee Jobs” by Erin Cox for Baltimore Sun

Missouri: “Missouri House Leader Names Committee to Investigate Greitens” by Jason Hancock for Kansas City Star

Oregon: “Receiving a Blanket Posed Ethical Quandary for Oregon Senator” by Andrew Selsky (Associated Press) for Portland Oregonian

Rhode Island: “Facing Threat of Expulsion, Sen. Kettle Quits” by Katherine Gregg and Patrick Anderson for Providence Journal

Lobbying

National: “European Ex-Officials Deny Being Paid by Manafort to Lobby for Ukraine” by Steven Erlanger and Jason Horowitz for New York Times

Oklahoma: “Step Up Campaign Highlights Gap in State Disclosure Laws” by Paul Monies and Trevor Browen (Oklahoma Watch) for Ada News

Campaign Finance

California: “L.A. Developer Is Charged with Making Illegal Campaign Donations” by David Zahniser and Emily Alpert Reyes for Los Angeles Times

Nebraska: “Proposal Would Tighten How Candidates Spend Unused Campaign Donations” by Chris Dunker for Lincoln Journal Star

New York: “In Spite of Executive Order, Cuomo Takes Campaign Money from State Appointees” by Shane Goldmacher, Brian Rosenthal, and Augustin Armendariz for New York Times

Ethics

National: “Former Trump Campaign Official Rick Gates Pleads Guilty to 2 Charges” by Devlin Barrett and Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) for Denver Post

Maryland: “Baltimore County School Board Says Verletta White Violated Ethics Rules” by Liz Bowie for Baltimore Sun

Utah: “Critics Question Utah Lawmakers’ Changes to Ethics Panel” by Michelle Price (Associated Press) for KSL

Virginia: “Va. Lawmakers’ Conflict-of-Interest Forms Won’t Be Public Until They Leave Town” by Patrick Wilson for Richmond Times Dispatch

Lobbying

National: “How Skadden, the Giant Law Firm, Got Entangled in the Mueller Investigation” by Kenneth Vogel and Matthew Goldstein for New York Times

West Virginia: “Justice Company Rep Has Unique Access to Capitol Among Lobbyists” by Jake Zuckerman for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Campaign Finance

Arizona: Debbie Lesko Accused of Moving $50K from Campaign to a PAC That Backs … Lesko by Ronald Hanson for Arizona Republic

Tennessee: Complaints Question Harwell’s PAC Help, $3.1m Self-Loan by Jonathan Matisse (Associated Press) for Raleigh News and Observer

Elections

National: Citing Costs, Some GOP Governors Refuse to Hold Special Elections by Alan Greenblatt for Governing

Ethics

California: California Senator Resigns Amid Harassment Allegations by Taryn Luna for Sacramento Bee

Rhode Island: R.I. Senate President Introduces Resolution to Expel Member Accused of Extorting Sex, Video Voyeurism by Katherine Gregg and Patrick Anderson for Providence Journal

Texas: Prosecutors Reviewing Complaint Against Empower Texans Over Attack Ad Resembling Government Notice by Jay Root for Texas Tribune

Lobbying

Missouri: Gov. Greitens Indicted for Felony Invasion of Privacy Stemming from Affair by Jason Hancock, Bryan Lowry, and Lindsay Wise for Kansas City Star

Texas: Murphy’s Contract Raises Eyebrows, Questions: Is he lobbying? by Steve Miller for Texas Monitor

Elections

National: “Sexual Misconduct Spurs New Elections: The #MeToo race” by Trip Gabriel and Jess Bidgood for New York Times

Ethics

National: “Republican Attorneys General Call on Revolving Door Cases for Advice” by Andrew Perez for MapLight.org

National: “Tools of Trump’s Fixer: Payouts, intimidation and the tabloids” by Jim Rutenberg, Megan Twohey, Rebecca Ruiz, Mike McIntire, and Maggie Haberman for New York Times

California: “Six Women Were Likely Subject to Unwanted Behavior by a California Senator, Investigation Finds” by Taryn Luna for Sacramento Bee

District of Columbia: “D.C. Public Schools Leader to Resign After Skirting School Assignment Rules” by Perry Stein, Peter Jamison, and Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Lobbying

National: “With Grief and Hope, Florida Students Take Gun Control Fight on the Road” by Brendan Farrington, Josh Replogle, and Tamara Lush (Associated Press) for New York Times

National: “Labor’s Reprieve Is Over as U.S. Supreme Court Case Targets Fee” by Greg Stohr for Bloomberg.com

Kansas: “Kansas Senate Bills Expand Reach of Lobbyist Registration, Oppose Private Management of State Prisons” by Tim Carpenter for Topeka Capitol Journal

Utah: “Bill Advances to Help Prevent Sexual Harassment of Legislative Interns” by Lee Davidson for Salt Lake Tribune

Campaign Finance

Arizona: “Judge Tosses Bid by Corporation Commissioner Burns to Enforce Subpoena Against APS” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Daily Star

West Virginia: “Judge Grants Government’s Motion to Dismiss Charges Against Morgantown Coal Exec” by Matt Harvey for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Elections

New York: “State Officials Say They Are Told Too Little About Election Threats” by Michael Wines for New York Times

Ethics

California: “Ethics Chair Resigns Over Failure to Place Campaign Finance Reforms on June Ballot” by Joshua Sabatini for San Francisco Examiner

Maryland: “New Report Describes Scenes of Sexual Harassment in Maryland General Assembly” by Erin Cox for Baltimore Sun

Lobbying

National: “Former Skadden Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Lying in Russia Investigation” by Eileen Sullivan and Kenneth Vogel for New York Times

North Carolina: “Conspiracy Theories, Criminal Investigations Plentiful in NC Bail Bonds World” by Travis Fain for WRAL

South Carolina: “S.C. Lawmakers Call for Law Enforcement Probe of Bogus Pro-Utility Emails” by Andrew Brown for Charleston Post and Courier

Redistricting

Pennsylvania: “Pa. Supreme Court Releases New Congressional Map” by Jonathan Lai and Liz Navratil for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Campaign Finance

Alabama: “Former Alabama House Majority Leader Sentenced to 3 Months in Prison” by Mike Cason for AL.com

Elections

Maine: “GOP Leader Jason Savage Says Controversial Website Is His, But Denies Ties to Party” by Steve Collins for Lewiston Sun Journal

Ethics

National: “Trump Administration Agrees to Post Visitor Logs for Some White House Offices” by Josh Gerstein for Politico

National: “Former Trump Aide Richard Gates to Plead Guilty; Agrees to Testify Against Manafort, Sources Say” by David Willman for Los Angeles Times

Idaho: “Idaho Lawmakers Agree to Hear New Statewide Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure Bill” by Betsy Russell for Spokane Spokesman-Review

New Mexico: “Ex-Sen. Griego Gets 18 Months, $47,000 in Fines” by Dan Boyd for Albuquerque Journal

New York: “How Albany Really Works: Cuomo loyalist exposes pay-to-play culture” by Shane Goldmacher for New York Times

Oregon: “John Kitzhaber Could Face Up to $50,000 in Fines for Ethics Violations” by Hillary Borrud for Portland Oregonian

South Carolina: “After Quinn’s Probation, Shock, Dismay, Joy and Wondering: What’s next?” by John Monk for The State

Campaign Finance

National: “Trump’s Inaugural Committee Paid $26 Million to Firm of First Lady’s Adviser” by Maggie Haberman and Kenneth Vogel for New York Times

New York: “Citizens United Can’t Hide Donor Lists from NY” by Nick Rummell for Courthouse News Service

Texas: “Austinites May Soon Be Able to Directly Support Candidates Through Voucher Donations” by Jessi Devenyns for Austin Monitor

Elections

National: “Mueller Charges 13 Russian Nationals with Interfering in 2016 Election” by Louis Nelson for Politico

Ethics

National: “Kelli Ward Touts Endorsement from Fake-News Site” by Jason Schwartz and Shawn Musgrave for Politico

District of Columbia: “D.C. Council Member Proposed Bill That Would Have Helped Firm That Offered His Son an Internship” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Tennessee: “How $225,000 Can Help Secure a Pollution Loophole at Trump’s E.P.A.” by Eric Lipton for New York Times

Lobbying

National: “K Street Reinvents Itself in the Era of Trump” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

Delaware: “Lobbyists No Longer Have a Dedicated Room in Legislative Hall” by Scott Gross for Wilmington News Journal

Campaign Finance

National: “Sinclair Broadcast Group Solicits Its News Directors for Its Political Fundraising Efforts” by Paul Fahri (Washington Post) for Chicago Tribune

National: “I Approved This Facebook Message – But You Don’t Know That” by Jennifer Valentino-DeVries for ProPublica

Arizona: “House Passes Measure to Keep Cities From Banning ‘Dark Money’” by Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) for Arizona Capitol Times

Massachusetts: “OCPF Transparency Rules Could Discourage Donations, Critics Say” by Katie Lannan (State House News Service) for MassLive.com

Missouri: “Former Missouri State Senator Accused of Campaign Irregularities Loses Fight to Avoid $229K Fine” by Jack Suntrup for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

West Virginia: “Democratic Candidate Turns House of Delegates Eviction Into $45k Fundraising Haul” by Jake Zuckerman for Charleston Gazette-Mail

Ethics

Utah: “Taxpayers Reimbursed Former Lawmaker for Rooms Linked to Prostitution Allegations” by David DeMille for St. George Daily Spectrum

Legislative Issues

National: “Judges Say Throw Out the Map. Lawmakers Say Throw Out the Judges.” by Michael Wines for New York Times

Maryland: “Wife of 80-Year-Old State Senator Accompanies Him to Work Each Day. Some Say She Assists Him with Duties.” by Ovetta Wiggins for Washington Post

Lobbying

National: “Exiting Lawmakers Put in Calls to K Street” by Megan Wilson for The Hill

Arkansas: “Former Arkansas Legislator Eddie Cooper Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement” by Wesley Brown for KUAR

Campaign Finance

Missouri: “St. Louis County Council Looks into the Wisdom, and Practicality, of Campaign Donation Limits” by Jason Rosenbaum for St. Louis Public Radio

New York: “Mayor Wants City Charter Revision to Tackle Campaign Finance” by William Neuman for New York Times

Texas: “County Judge Sent $63K from Campaign Account to His Beer Company Without Reporting It” by Trent Seibert for Texas Monitor

Elections

Montana: “Montana’s Ban on Robocalls Upheld as Constitutional by Federal Judge” by Holly Michels for Helena Independent Record

Ethics

Federal: “Federal Grants Meant for Clean Coal Misspent on Liquor, Spas” by Ari Natter for Bloomberg

National: “A Whirlwind Envelops the White House, and the Revolving Door Spin” by Peter Baker (New York Times) for MSN

Florida: “Miami Beach Official Accepted Stays from Hotelier. Now Both Face Corruption Charges.” by Joey Flechas and David Ovalle for Miami Herald

Kentucky: “Kentucky Bill Seeks New Ethics Rules for KFC Yum! Center Board” by Marcus Green for WDRB

Legislative Issues

National: “She Was Naming Lawmakers Who Took Oil-and-Gas Money – So They Barred Her from the Public Hearing” by Avi Selk for Washington Post

Lobbying

Hawaii: “Development Lobbyist Failed to Register with Honolulu Ethics Commission” by Anita Hofschneider for Honolulu Civil Beat

Campaign Finance

Alaska: “Group Picks Alaska to Challenge Unlimited Campaign Donations” by Becky Bohrer (Associated Press) for Bristol Herald-Courier

Connecticut: “An Unlikely Rebuke of the General Assembly Over Election Laws” by Mark Pazniokas for Connecticut Mirror

Texas: “Anti-Abortion Group Deletes State Senator’s Video After Questions of Legality Raised” by Patrick Svitek and Jay Root for Texas Tribune

Ethics

National: “First-Class Travel Distinguishes Scott Pruitt’s EPA Tenure” by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis for Washington Post

National: “#MeToo Movement Lawmaker Investigated for Sexual Misconduct Allegations” by Carla Marinucci for Politico

California: “California Legislative Staff Get Whistleblower Protections” by Kathleen Ronayne (Associated Press) for KPCC

Canada: “Ethics Czar Calls for Tougher Sanctions for Breaking Conflict of Interest Laws” by Beatrice Britnoff for iPolitics.ca

Oregon: “Kruse to Resign after Finding of Groping, Unwanted Touching at Oregon Capitol” by Gordon Friedman for Portland Oregonian

South Carolina: “Former S.C. House Majority Leader Rick Quinn Gets Probation in Misconduct Case” by Andrew Knapp and Glenn Smith for Charleston Post and Courier

Tennessee: “Mayor Megan Barry Affair: Ethics complaint alleges improper influence, prompts new probe” by Dave Boucher and Nate Rau for The Tennessean

Legislative Issues

Colorado: “If You Can Pay $250, Colorado Lawmakers May Let You Skip Security at State Capitol” by John Frank for Denver Post

Lobbying

Florida: “Scott Maddox Never Registered as Waste Pro Lobbyist” by Jeff Burlew for Tallahassee Democrat

North Dakota: “Amid Backlash, Gov. Burgum Reimburses Xcel Energy $37,000 for Super Bowl Tickets” by John Hageman for Grand Forks Herald

Oklahoma: “New Lobbying Rule Gets Mixed Review from Lawmakers and Those Who Try to Influence Them” by Barbara Hoberock for Tulsa World

South Carolina: “Utility Watchdog Asks SCANA and Dominion How Much They Are Spending on Lobbying, Advertising” by Andrew Brown for Charleston Post and Courier

Redistricting

Pennsylvania: “Pa. GOP Proposes a New Congressional Map. Democrats Say It’s Still Gerrymandered” by Liz Navratil, Jonathan Tamari, and Jonathan Lai for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette